Blizzard have announced a rather important milestone for their upcoming entry into the MOBA genre. Starting on Monday, Blizzard are shutting down the Heroes of the Storm store. But this is good news, as they’re also making all 29 heroes available to play while it’s offline.
But then there’s some sad news. The week after, there’ll be another account wipe of any gold, level progression and unlocks. This is the last one though, they hope.
If you’re planning on picking something up from the Heroes of the Storm store, you’d better do it quick.
“We’re shutting down the Heroes of the Storm Shop on September 22.” said Blizzard. “At that time, you will be unable to make any purchases using Gold or real money. However, we don’t want that to put a damper on your latest matchmaking win-streak. We’re thrilled to let you know that while the Shop is offline, all 29 Heroes in the Technical Alpha lineup will be available for play in the free Hero rotation!”
But what’s the point if they’re just going to wipe it? Well just like Blizzard did in Hearthstone, they’re giving away an exclusive “Wonder Billie Mount” to anyone who spent money in the shop. If you’re lucky enough to be in the alpha, this is your only chance to claim one.
The week after, Heroes of the Storm will go into a week long maintenance. During this time, everyone’s accounts will be wiped of all progress. Of course, any real money spent will be refunded back to your Battle.net wallets. While not entirely unexpected, Blizzard hope that this wipe will be the “final planned account wipe”.
When Heroes of the Storm comes out of its little hibernation, you’ll notice a few new things. First, you’ll be slotted back into your normal regions. Fellow friends will now be able to see you’re playing Heroes of the Storm, and even chat with you about their jealousy while playing other Blizzard games. Do note though, that your current alpha friends list will be wiped, so save the BattleTags of the ones you care about.
For the rest of you, lets hope this puts us one step closer to beta, and beyond.